The
rapid changes to the electricity system being wrought by distributed solar have utilities crying out, and they’ve poured much
of their distributed solar angst into a chart being shared throughout the
energy nerdocracy – the duck.
The Duck Chart, Showing Net Supply/Demand on the California
Grid in 2012-13, Forecast through 2020
Until 2012, daily energy demand looked like a two-humped
“camel,” with peaks mid-morning and early evening. Utility operated power
plants supplied most of the needed energy. But the substitution of local solar
power to meet local energy needs affects the demand for mid-day energy from the
grid. The daily demand curve transforms, from a camel (orange line) to a
(forecast) “duck” (bottom green line).
